Hitting the headlines recently with claims about his sexual health, Hollywood actor Michael Douglas has claimed that his throat cancer was caused as a result of oral sex. The actor, who is married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, claims that his wellness was affected by a virus that he picked up by participating in oral sex.
This virus can be transmitted through kissing as well as oral sex, and now a new blood test could help to identify those at risk of this disease, many years before it actually occurs. Antibodies that indicate the risk of this disease have been shown to occur in the blood for many years before the disease affects your wellbeing, and this has been identified by a team of researchers from the World Health Organisation (WHO). These findings could help to identify those who may be at risk of contracting the various forms of the disease.
Researchers presented their findings in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, where they claimed that their findings may lead to a screening programme for the human papillomavirus (HPV) which can lead to oral cancers.
Before this study was carried out, it was not known whether these antibodies were present in the blood before the cancer became detectable. Now that it is known that they are present, researchers believe that the findings are very encouraging, and could, ultimately, lead to better survival rates from this type of cancer.
It is believed that screening programmes could be set up based on these findings, leading to early detection of the disease and better opportunities to cure the disease before it spreads.
As well as the recent information relating to HPV and oral cancer, the virus is best known for causing cervical cancer as well as other cancers of the genitals.
Traditionally, people associate cancers of the head, neck and mouth as being associated with alcohol consumption and smoking, which is true, but it does not explain the way that these types of the disease are spreading rapidly throughout Europe, South Africa and North America. This is thought to be due to the prevalence of the HPV infection, possibly as a result of changing attitudes towards oral sex.